Batter no. Australia's No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne missed another opportunity to reach the triple-figure mark as he was dismissed for a well-made 72 on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
As the partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith looked threatening, Washington Sundar gave his team the big wicket. It was a good length ball to Sundar as Labuschagne tried to stop at mid on after going down the track.
However, he did not get the required height and Virat Kohli took a beautiful catch at mid-off with a perfect bounce. Labuschagne looked clearly disappointed and threw his club in the air in disgust.
Clock: Virat Kohli booed after denying Steve Smith a boundary as MCG crowd turns hostile
Watch: Marnus Labuschagne drops his wicket as Virat Kohli takes a stunner
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Marnus Labuschagne scored 72 off 145 balls and hit 7 fours during his knock. He looked in touch during this innings and formed crucial partnerships with Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith.
It was a huge wicket for India as it broke a solid 83-run stand between Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. Both batsmen were looking dangerous at the crease and looking to take the game away from Australia.
Marnus Labuschagne makes another start
Marnus Labuschagne had a no. of good starts recently, but failed to turn them into great ones. Australia's star batsman has a tough Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far with two fifties in six Test innings.
Apart from his 64 in Adelaide, he has struggled to score runs. Marnus Labuschagne has so far scored 154 runs in six Test innings at an average of 25.66. There have been criticisms of Labuschagne from various aspects regarding his form.
A few days ago, former Australia opener David Warner criticized Labuschagne for giving away his wicket despite being a set batsman. Warner made the comments after Labuschagne was dismissed for 64 in Adelaide.
Sam Konstas lit up the MCG
Meanwhile, Australia got off to a strong start after winning the toss and electing to bat first. Debutant Sam Konstas smashed the ball all over the place to put the home side ahead.
Konstas faced a testing spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj earlier in the innings but decided to take them on with his unorthodox shots.
The 19-year-old played scoops and reverse scoops to put Bumrah under pressure. Bumrah made 38 runs in the first six overs and was very expensive. He didn't even pick up any wickets with the new ball which was a surprise.
Konstas knocked free and looked to continue the game. He was unfazed by the occasion and fearless in his batting display. The right-hander showed shades of brilliance in his whirlwind knock to immediately put the visitors on the back foot.
Australia ended the day on 311-6 as India clawed their way back into the game in the final session. Steve Smith was still batting on 68 off 111 balls with skipper Pat Cummins batting alongside him.